PSA: Going to a music festival? Keep your phone close

Tuesday

There are rules that every seasoned concert-goer knows: Drink lots of water. If you see someone who looks like they’re about to faint after a day of being blasted by the sun, help them. Don’t be a jerk.

Seems it’s time to add another to the list: watch your phone!

Concerts and music festivals are like heaven for pick pockets. Cram a few thousand people elbow-to-elbow for hours on end, and no one really notices when someone “accidentally” bumps into them. And if you catch’em in the act? They’ve dissolved into a crowd of strangers by the time you’ve realized what’s going on.

Sure — the phone, as a whole, can be locked down and made useless. The parts inside it (the screens, the glass-backed and oft-replaced cases, basically most bits but the logic boards), though, are still valuable when pieced out. And if the thief is going the identity-theft route, the one-off phone without a PIN is a treasure trove.

If you’re going to shows on the regular, it might seem obvious — hell, you’ve probably heard some horror stories first hand (I know two people who’ve had phones snagged at shows this year alone.) But with concert/music festival season being upon us, there’s plenty of music lovers hitting up their one show a year — so tell your friends.